Blowout tops Brown-trained trifecta in Wild Applause

ELMONT, N.Y. – Jockey Javier Castellano blamed himself for Blowout’s narrow loss in the Memories of Silver Stakes two months ago at Aqueduct.

In that race, Blowout clipped heels with a horse in front of her down the backside and stumbled. After being stuck behind horses in the stretch, Castellano and Blowout split rivals and fell a head short of Feel Glorious at the wire.

“It was a devastating race, I felt so bad, so guilty,” Castellano said.

Saturday, Castellano found redemption for himself and Blowout, getting a much smoother trip, stalking from second, and then holding off stablemate Nova Sol to win the $100,000 Wild Applause Stakes by a half-length at Belmont Park. It was 2 1/2 lengths back to Seek and Destroy in third as trainer Chad Brown swept the top three finishing places in the turf race for 3-year-old fillies.

Feel Glorious was fourth followed by Pep. Wings of Dawn scratched and will be pointed to the Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes on dirt here next Saturday.

Blowout won for the second time in four starts. Following a maiden win at Tampa on Jan. 23 under Antonio Gallardo, Blowout finished a fast-closing second to Concrete Rose in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks under Jose Ortiz at Tampa on March 9. Castellano rode Blowout for the first time in the Memories of Silver Stakes on April 19 and basically learned she prefers to be left alone early.

“I made a mistake, I learned from my mistake, I think shes’s the type of horse you need to let her do whatever she wants to do and don’t fight her too much,” Castellano said.

Saturday, breaking from the outside in the five-horse field, Castellano let Blowout place herself, and she was within a length of Seek and Destroy, who, under Kendrick Carmouche set fractions of 23.35 seconds for the quarter and 47.01 for the half. Castellano gradually inched Blowout closer to Seek and Destroy, taking over after six furlongs were run in 1:11.46.

Blowout had a length advantage at the eighth pole and she was able to hold Nova Sol at bay in the final furlong to record the victory. Blowout, a Great Britain-bred daughter of Dansili owned by Peter Brant, covered the mile over good turf in 1:34.02 and returned $7.50 as the second choice.

Brown said he didn’t hold Blowout’s Aqueduct loss against Castellano.

“In fairness to Javier, she’s not an easy horse to ride, she has a little bit of a light mouth,” Brown said. “In the last race at Aqueduct they really slowed it down in front of him, he came up on heels and clipped heels there momentarily. It was a rough trip, but he took the opportunity to get to know her and he took advantage of a good post today.”

Nova Sol, the 3-2 favorite under Irad Ortiz Jr., got bumped by Pep coming out of the gate and was last until the five-sixteenths pole.

“She was bottled up for a while, had to come around every one probably lost a length or two for sure, it would have been tight,” Brown said. “She looks like a progressive horse that’s moving forward.”

Seek and Destroy spooked from tire tracks, according to Carmouche and dumped the rider past the wire. Both horse and rider were uninjured.

Brown said this trio would all be considered for the Grade 3, $150,000 Lake George at Saratoga on July 19.